Summary of findings
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Introduction and objectives
The ageing population is a significant global concern; as a result, unpaid carers play a crucial role in providing care to individuals with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or ongoing social care needs. The rapid advancement of technology and the growing demand for care have led to the transition of various services online, especially when it comes to caregiving.
However, this digitalisation often poses challenges for many unpaid carers, contributing to issues of digital exclusion. Reasons for this exclusion include the cost of devices and internet access, lack of accessibility features, digital skills gaps, privacy concerns, and location-based factors.
Among the most affected groups by digital exclusion are older adults, who often face other, additional barriers such as lack of confidence, health-related challenges (e.g., dementia), and negative past experiences with digital technologies. The intersection of multiple disadvantages exacerbates digital exclusion, particularly for older unpaid carers, especially during the cost-of-living crisis. Such conditions present a variety of challenges e.g., difficulty accessing support services, financial disadvantages, lack of respite from caregiving, and difficulties in maintaining employment.
The information in this summary is based on a report emerging from a synthesis of various sources, including parliamentary submissions, government evaluations, assessments of digitalisation initiatives and caregiving programs, and reports from organisations like Carers UK and the Good Things Foundation. These materials cover a wide range of topics, including digitalisation, policy evaluations related to caregiving, assessments of practices for digital inclusion, parliamentary discussions on data protection and assistive technologies, and more.
As a result, the present report and, therefore, summary, aim to tackle the following questions:
- What are the common, dominant themes identified in the existing literature regarding the digitalisation of care for older, unpaid carers?
- Which policies have been empirically demonstrated to be effective in ameliorating potential barriers to digital inclusion?